Obvious
by lucia-rivers
Summary: After 3 years of moving around, Chloe is finally back at Buffalo High for her senior year. Whilst she's been away a certain mismatch of siblings has made themselves at home. How long will it take for one grumpy loner to realise what everyone else can see is so obvious? (AU/AH) Mainly DPOV.
1. Chapter 1

So, this is the first (chronological) chapter in my story Obvious - for those of you who R&R'd the teaser chapter thank you so much! This story will mainly be in DPOV with a few CPOV chapters thrown in for context (incl. the below to set the scene!)

This is my first story so please leave a review! I do not own the Darkest Powers.

* * *

Chapter 1: Begin again _(CPOV)_

It was strange being back.

Looking around the emptying hallway, everything seemed so familiar and yet completely new. The walls were still covered in the school-coloured 'cheer' but the pictures and trophies in the cabinet held unknown faces and names. The lockers I was standing at were the same fading blue as they had always been but I had a new, unmemorised combination.

My particular locker had belonged to one Liam Malloy - an obnoxious quarterback who was in his senior year when I had first started junior high. I shivered just thinking about him, thankful that our time at Buffalo High was limited to that one year. He had run these halls, strutting around in his letterman jacket, creeping on any girl that was unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Luckily, I hadn't. The latest rumours had it that he'd moved to California and died in a gang-fight… but it was more likely that he'd spent his entire post-school life flipping burgers at some outlet mall. That was school for you.

I slowly put what little stuff I had brought into their places. Dad and I had moved around so much the past three years that I had become a pro at travelling light… My shift in priorities had also meant that I didn't really feel the need to have so many belongings. Ever since mum died, dad had thrown himself into work. I didn't take it personally, much; I could understand the need for distraction and to be fair to him I never really felt abandoned. I had my friends and Aunt Lauren and I knew he'd be there if I really needed him.

The stress of starting high school and all the fun stuff that comes with puberty did get a little much, especially without my mum to lean on, but dad did his best. Wanting to keep me close, and probably also wanting to keep me from further influence of my neurotic aunt, he suggested I come with him to Europe. His company was looking to expand and I jumped at the chance to start over. I was tired of being "poor Chloe Saunders" little girl lost without her mummy. It was bad enough that I looked like a child, I certainly didn't want to be treated like one at 14.

After two years of flitting from one country to the next, the excitement of travel wore off and I started to yearn for something a little more normal. Though my dad would never say it, I could tell it was getting too difficult balancing his work with looking after a teenager. Now that he was firmly based back in the States it wasn't difficult to persuade him to let me stick out my senior year in one place, and there was only one place that we'd both settle back down in.

So here I was, back in Buffalo, back home.

I stuck the picture of my mum, dad, and I firmly on the inside of the locker door and silently asked them both to wish me luck. Nate and Mila had already scheduled in a selfie-shoot to commemorate my return and had warned me to save enough locker space - I was glad that hadn't changed over the years.

Lost in my nostalgia, I closed the locker harder than I had intended, the sound echoing along the now empty hall. I picked my bag off the floor and spun on my heel, my first step sending me smacking into a human wall. I yelped, dropping most of my books to the floor.

There was an audible growl from the wall - person - and before I had a chance to collect myself, he had bent down to pick up my fallen belongings. I looked down and my attention was drawn to the way his t-shirt stretched nicely across his back as he bent over, collecting everything together. When he was finished and stood to his full height, my eye-level only just reaching his chest. I knew I was short but this was on him too; he had to be at least 6"4.

I'm sure I visibly swallowed as I trailed my gaze up his broad chest to his face. Underneath his thick dark hair, there was a spattering of acne and a decided frown. However, what held me captive and frozen were his eyes, the most brilliant green I had ever seen.

The look he gave me shook me from my stupor: an impatient glare. I could feel the blush rising on my face. _Why was I acting like such a dork?_ He handed me my books without saying a word.

"I-I'm s-s-o…" I cursed my all too familiar stutter. The boy brushed past me before I had even finished my apology and I couldn't blame him. I watched him stalk down the hallway and around the corner, his gait graceful and silent but swift enough that he was out of sight in seconds.

So much for sliding back into Buffalo life without being noticed.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Darkest Powers. Please R&R!

* * *

Chapter 2: Home sweet homeroom ( _DPOV_ )

Today, I was late.

Miss G knew this wasn't like me but didn't push for an explanation as I entered homeroom. I took my assigned seat (the empty desk directly in front of hers) and grabbed the physics textbook out of my bag. When I was settled, I finally looked up to meet her concerned gaze.

"Sorry" I offered sheepishly.

"Bueno?" She whispered and, when I nodded in response, she stood up to make the morning's announcements – my tardiness completely dismissed. This was one of the reasons I, and the majority of Buffalo High students, liked Miss "Call Me G" Gwen.

Sure she'd been nervous to begin with, like they all are, but she quickly got over it. I was a big guy. One who wasn't blessed with Adonis good looks or a golden boy personality – that was Simon's shtick – but I didn't actively cause trouble. In fact, if I sat still long enough, people rarely even noticed I was there. It didn't really bother me though as it meant that people generally left me alone… but I liked that Miss G had tried.

She'd quickly picked up that I wasn't much for talking and we'd fallen into a nice routine over the past couple of years. Occasionally, she would comment on the book I was reading or complain about the weather. I didn't always reply to her inane chatter but I knew she didn't necessarily expect a response. In fact, the first time I did respond, she almost fell out of her chair. She was talking about some dating-reality-show-garbage that was "perverse and insulting to all women… but completely gripping". I indulged that Tori and Simon had fallen to similar fates so I was subject to watching it too. To her credit, she recovered quickly from her shock and barked out a laugh, assuring me she'd have to catch up with Simon later.

I immediately tuned out the routine announcements and focused on the book in front of me. I knew there would be nothing that affected or interested me in today's spiel as it was usually some variation on the same old:

 _"Next week we face off against the Lyle Leopards – we haven't won a single game this decade but I know we can do it – Go Bulls!"_

And:

 _"I hope everyone's super pumped for the mystery meat surprise we've got waiting for us this lunchtime…"_

Please.

I tried to focus on the words in front of me but I was lost. It already wasn't my day.

Tori and Simon were at each other's throats all morning, something about Simon using up all of Tori's hair products, despite him vehemently denying it. Simon had tried to rebut this by making some sort of PMS joke, a bold move at the best of times, and Tori obviously took that in her stride. Not.

Having to deal with all these hormones was killing my concentration, and my patience. In trying to break up the twins, and consequently stop a car crash in the making, I'd missed the turning to school and got caught in rush hour traffic. My favourite.

Also, usually, it doesn't help your sanity or punctuality when you're accosted by strangers in the hallway. At this thought, Miss G stopped her announcements abruptly, causing me to look up.

She just stood there in the doorway. Her face, rosy to start with, blushed more fiercely as she realized she was now center stage. Her lips parted as if to say something but she remained transfixed.

"Chloe!" Miss G saved the day, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, "How lovely to see you again."

The name Chloe suited her. Girly. Innocent. She couldn't have been taller than 5 feet, all wispy blonde hair and soft edges. Chloe gave Miss G a shy smile, the blush secure on her face.

"I'm sure some of you remember Chloe! Welcome back! We can't wait to hear about all your adventures since you've been away," Chloe's smile turned into a slight grimace as Miss G continued to enthuse, "There's a spare seat next to Derek over there."

Miss G gestured in my direction and a flash of recognition crossed her face, swiftly followed by apprehension. Great. She lowered herself into the seat next to me and I could feel her staring at me.

"H-Hey, I'm... I'm Chloe," her voice was breathy.

"I heard." I wasn't in the mood to swap niceties but after a beat of silence I looked up and caught Miss G giving me a look: **play nice**. I rolled my eyes and complied.

"I'm Derek," I grunted reluctantly, looking over at the small blonde beside me.

"I heard," she mimicked in an irritated tone, her stutter gone. She wasn't looking at me as she said it, just glaring down at the table as she sorted out her belongings. I fought the urge to smile. For someone so small she sure had nerve.

As she seemed intent on avoiding my gaze, I took the opportunity to really look at her. Before, she looked as though a small draft would cause her to float away, but now she was now set in stone. Her head was held up high and her face was stoic. It was almost impressive.

Chloe finally gave in with a sigh and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. Seeing me staring, she dropped her gaze as if to ground herself.

"I'm sorry about bumping into you earlier," she apologized, her eye-contact unwavering. There was no fear or disgust in those deep blue eyes, just hesitation as she awaited my reaction.

"No worries, I wasn't exactly paying attention either," I rushed out, raising my eyebrows in a mix of apology and shock. Chloe gave me a small, earnest smile in return, tucking a stray strand of blonde behind her ear, before looking back at the papers in front of her.

We fell into comfortable silence and I was able to recover from the weird encounter. Miss G's gaze was fixed on her computer screen but her eyebrows were raised and she was biting her lip to keep a smile spilling from her face. I sighed loud enough for her to hear and went back to my book stubbornly.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own the Darkest Powers. Please R&R!

* * *

Chapter 3: Butterflies

"Hey losers."

This was Tori's usual greeting. It wasn't said in a playful tone, but she meant it with love. At least, that's what Simon and I told ourselves.

When she reached our usual table, she dumped her bag unceremoniously on the floor and sat down opposite me. She then reached over and picked one of the many pens off Simon's lunch tray. Clearly the tension between the two of them had simmered which meant I could enjoy my lunch in semi-peace.

"Who's that?" Simon said with an air of awe. I looked up to see him staring doe-eyed across the cafeteria. Following his gaze, I locked eyes on Chloe, standing alone with her lunch, scanning the room.

"Oh, that's Chloe," Tori said, lookup up from the routine crossword in front of her, "the new kinda girl."

" _Kinda_ new girl?" Simon's face scrunched up in question.

"Yeah she used to go here a few years back."

"Why did she leave then? Wait, how do you know this, do you know her?"

" _Jesus Simon_ do I look like Google? Go fire your 20 questions at someone who cares," Tori snapped.

Simon was saved from a more brutal exchange as Liz plonked herself down in between them.

"What's good?" She said to no one in particular, picking Tori's untouched apple off her tray.

When the two sat side by side like that, it was like looking at night and day. Tori was all spiky, hard edges and mood swings whereas Liz was light, fluffy and carefree. It was still a wonder why they were friends at all, let alone best friends. Liz was nice, too nice really, someone who Tori would usually call an airhead. To be fair, she was a bit of an airhead, but it was hard not to like her. She seemed to get my need for space but would happily sit at lunch, just the two of us, with her babbling away. Luckily her optimism wasn't _too_ sickly sweet.

Tori gave her a genuine smile as she settled in at the table.

"Liz, do you know Chloe?" Simon asked, wasting no time.

"Chloe?" Liz cocked her head like a confused puppy as Tori rolled her eyes. Then, following Simon's outstretched hand, she screeched.

"CHLOE!"

Tori and I visibly recoiled at the intrusive noise but Simon's interest was truly piqued as he sat up straighter.

Chloe froze, her eyes wide and her cheeks reddening, as the tall blonde suddenly rushed at her. As she was taken in by Liz's back-bending hug, I could see her let out a laugh. They were too far away to make out what was being said, but Liz was chatting animatedly as usual. Chloe looked genuinely interested in the conversation but didn't offer much more than a few words, a nod, or a laugh here and there. Knowing Liz, she probably didn't give Chloe much of a chance to contribute in her excitement.

"So, she's Liz's friend…" Simon had a faraway, dozy look on his face, his trademark smile slowly growing. Tori and I looked at each other and she shook her head, silently exasperated at his predictable behaviour.

A high-pitched yelp brought my attention back to the group in time to see a lanky redhead lifting Chloe up from behind. Nate Bozian, one of Simon's basketball teammates. A short brunette, Mila Andrews from my chemistry class, had also appeared and stood next to Liz. They were both chuckling at the exchange.

"God Saunders you've really filled out," I heard him boom in mock effort. I found myself frowning at this, but seeing the expression mirrored on Simon's face, I quickly forced blankness.

When he finally set the blushing blonde down, Mila pulled her into a deep hug. I could see Chloe's face over the brunette's shoulder. Her eyes were closed and a brilliant smile was spread across her face. She looked at home. When she was released from the hug, Liz exchanged some final pleasantries before waving the group goodbye.

As she watched Liz skip back to our table, Chloe and I briefly made eye contact. She gave me a quick wave and a smile before being dragged away by her chattering friends.

I tried my best to ignore Simon as he tried, and failed, to subtly ask Liz about Chloe. I was thankful they hadn't seen Chloe notice me, otherwise I would be bombarded by questions, and not just from Simon. The four of us soon slipped back into our normal lunch routine; Liz skilfully directed Simon's conversation to more benign topics and Tori humoured their attempts to help with her crossword. This allowed me to focus on my lunch and work on ignoring the weird fluttering feeling occupying my stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own the Darkest Powers. Please R&R!

* * *

Chapter 4: More than a caffeine fix

Simon was buzzing. Literally buzzing. He had been ever since Wednesday afternoon.

Mila had brought Chloe to "meet the squad" and, as cheerleading practise corresponded with basketball practise, Simon finally had the chance to meet her. Friday had now rolled around, bringing with it more basketball, and more cheerleading… Hence, the buzzing.

"It should be a good practice. I mean, like, we suck, but I think the team's definitely stronger this year. Also helps that we've got some great cheerleaders. I guess I'll see Chloe again today." Nonchalance wasn't Simon's strong suit.

Even when Simon wasn't talking about it, you could tell he wanted to. I did feel kind of bad for him as Tori and I weren't exactly the most receptive audience. After the first 20 seconds of Wednesday's story, Tori pointedly put in her headphones. To her credit, she probably got a similar run down from Liz the next day. I don't think Simon even noticed that Tori had checked out of the conversation. If he did, he clearly didn't care. He probably thought I'd stopped listening too. I usually did.

"Like, she wasn't that bad, kinda cute actually. Just needs more practise… She should ask Liz for help; Liz wouldn't mind." Apparently cheerleading required coordination that Chloe didn't quite have.

I'm not sure why I was still listening to him blab on about the new girl. (Again.) Curiosity I guess. Chloe and I had become… amicable this past week. She would always make friendly conversation and, though it was nothing ground-breaking, Miss G would usually pretend not to be listening in. Often, we'd just sit in comfortable silence, each getting on with our own thing. It was easy with Chloe. She would wave at me if we passed in the hall and I soon found myself nodding back. I guess she could be a friend, but that was just Chloe, she was nice to everyone.

"She was a cheerleader before she left BH so she'll probably get the hang of it again soon. She blames too much gelato and not enough pilates." Simon laughed like she was here saying it herself.

I still didn't know much about her. Not that I should. It had only been a week. I knew she'd just got back from Europe, something that Miss G wanted to hear about in painstaking detail. Chloe was always modest about it, only ever getting excited about small things like where the best paella was or how she missed the beaches. She was quiet but, if you asked, honest. I liked that about Chloe and I was thankful she never pried with me. Not that I'd mind too much if she did. Just a little.

"Where's the nearest ice-cream place here? Gelato is just ice-cream, right?"

"Do you have everything?" It was blunt but we'd be here all afternoon if Simon didn't snap out of it.

We were at Simon's locker, me standing like a packhorse as I watched him make a mental checklist. When he was happy I had all his stuff for the weekend, he gave me his winning smile, I rolled my eyes, and we headed towards the school exit.

As soon as we broke free of school confines, Simon set off towards the gym at a jog, shouting his goodbyes without so much as a glance over his shoulder. I gave the back of him a half-hearted wave and watched him catch up to his basketball teammates. I then lugged three-people's worth of crap to my car.

This was our Friday tradition. Simon had basketball practise and Tori had some geeky meeting in the computer labs. (I. Know.) This gave me at least 2 hours free to do whatever I wanted. This usually meant Drierial's.

Drierial's was a slightly hippy dippy coffee shop about a block away from school. It was down a quiet road. There was the odd store here and there but the road held absolutely nothing that would interest a teenager. Perfect.

As I walked in I was greeted by Drierial herself. "Derek!" she boomed.

She was old, I think… I couldn't really determine her age but she had wrinkles around her eyes, probably due to the permanent smile, and wore a different floral headscarf every time I saw her.

"The usual my dear?" I nodded and gave her a smile, one that made Drierial flutter her eyelashes at me. She'd gotten used to my visits. Every Wednesday and every Friday. She's also gotten used to my semi-permanent silence.

I handed over the money and took my usual seat at the back. I guess it was kinda lame that my usual Friday plans consisted of homework and the company of an old hippy. At least it meant I was homework free for the rest of the weekend?

I'd barely settled in to the worn leather armchair before Drierial waltzed over with my coffee. I only ever ordered coffee but she usually brought over a slice of something accompanied by the phrase "You're a growing lad." I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't keen to grow any more.

I mumbled my thanks and she patted my shoulder before drifting off to check on the other customers around the room. Sure, she looked like an old lady, but she was graceful and full of energy.

I can't have been sat there for long as I was still working my way through some boring quiz-worksheet thing when she walked in. The twinkling bell on the shop door hadn't even finished before Drierial exclaimed: "Chloe my darling!" I looked up in time to see Drierial launch herself around the girl, a familiar blonde halo could just about be seen amongst the flood of shawls.

"Oh it's been so long," Drierial gushed, "Just look how grown up you are." The girl in question was released from the embrace and turned to face the floor as Drierial instructed her to give a twirl. Poor Chloe, this was her hell.

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation but it clearly delighted Drierial, lots of excited woops and loud "of course my dear's" filled the room. I tried to focus back on my work. Why was Chloe here? I guess cheerleading really wasn't for her; Simon would be upset…

"Hey Derek," a small voice broke my concentration "mind if I sit?"

I looked up to find Chloe gesturing at the chair opposite me. A little shell-shocked, I sat up straighter and gave a jerky nod. As Chloe settled in her chair, I looked over at Drierial, who seemed like she was about to pass out with joy. At her encouraging waving, I looked away quickly and cleared my throat.

"So… no cheerleading then?" She cocked her head to the side at my question. "My brother said you made quite a scene on Wednesday." She laughed at that, only blushing slightly.

"I warned Mila I wasn't ready! Wait, who's your brother?" I frowned slightly but wasn't exactly surprised by her question. It's not like Simon would have mentioned me.

"Uh… Simon Bae," she looked surprised, as expected, so I deadpanned "We're identical twins." I got a good laugh from that.

"I thought he looked familiar," she teased "Nate was having an absolute field day at my expense and I don't think he would have stopped if Simon hadn't come to my rescue." She said the last part dramatically and rolled her eyes but it was clearly playful.

"So, not a basketball fan?" A fair enough question.

"Not much of a team player" I mumbled back.

"Shocker." It wasn't much more than a whisper but, when I looked up, she was looking at me with an obvious smirk on her face. I couldn't help but give a small smile in return. She sure was ballsy.

Chloe didn't push the conversation, just pulled a book from her bag and let me get back to my business. We sat there, not saying very much, until Chloe finished her drink. She gathered her bag up slowly as if she was unsure.

"Well… see you Monday," Chloe was fiddling with the strap on her bag, probably thanks to my social awkwardness.

"Yeah," I replied lamely, "Uh, have a good weekend."

"Thanks, you too," she smiled warmly, seemingly put at ease. I watched her take her finished cup to the counter and exit the emptying café.

I finished up my work slowly before reluctantly heading back to the school. The school parking lot was sparse when I approached, most people keen to escape for the weekend. It was still warm out though, the sky a lazy mix of pink and blue, and it put me in a good mood. One that didn't even falter when I reached the squabbling twins waiting for me at my car.


End file.
